All posts tagged ‘Cloud Computing’

If there is one thing that GeekDads love to teach their kids it is that ideas are great, but that those ideas are best when they become something real. A pitch for an idea or a startup is only as good as the prototype that can become a thing that makes an impact on the world in which we live. It is with that concept in mind that I was pleased to hear the results of the Imagine Cup Grants announced recently at the Social Innovation Summit.

The Imagine Cup is a three-year, $3 million competitive grants program that provides students with funding and support to help transform their Imagine Cup project into a business or nonprofit that will address a specific social issue. They are part of Microsoft YouthSpark, a companywide initiative designed to create opportunities for hundreds of millions of youth around the world. Continue Reading “Imagine Cup Grants: Dollars for World-Changing Concepts” »

When I was a kid, I remember getting dragged along with my mom to the local JC Penney department store where she had a complaint about a broken toaster oven she’d recently purchased. After what seemed like some normal dialogue (“What’s wrong with it,” “That’s horrible… I’m so sorry”) we got a new toaster and I got a Charms blow pop for my patience. She put the toaster and me in the backseat of ‘The Tank’ (a green Oldsmobile we’d nicknamed as such), and headed home — two happy customers.

This was before kids had car seats (I think I sat on the toaster oven box, for fun!), before hostesses stopped asking “smoking or non,” before toothbrushes started looking like sneakers and, more to the point, before toll-free numbers for customer service became de rigueur.

Now, we all know what’s happened since… and how hard it is to speak to someone who not only speaks your language, but can address your customer complaint quickly, promptly and efficiently. Online customer service experiences are often enough to make you want to purchase a large mallet from the local hardware store and whack yourself in the forehead with it. Continue Reading “Twitter: The New Old Customer Service?” »